Soapbox Engage Blog

Google just released some major upgrades to Google Analytics that make it extremely valuable for anyone managing a website. So, if you haven’t logged into your account for a while, or if perhaps you never got around to signing up for one, now is the time to immerse yourself in Google Analytics.

Here are a few things that have changed:

• Real Time Reporting: This means you no longer have to wait around to view how people interacted with your site in the past. Instead, you can see how people are using your site right now. With this feature you can more directly track how changes to your site are affecting the way people are interacting with it. For example, if you add a new homepage banner to your website about your Thanksgiving Food Drive in preparation for your drive being featured on a local radio station, go to GA while they are announcing the food drive and see if people are clicking on the banner during the radio segment. It will help you to learn whether or not the banner was an effective addition to your website.
• Mobile Reporting: Pew Internet, a project of the Pew Research Center, estimates that one third of all American adults are now using smartphones. What this means is that it is becoming more and more critical for your website to be optimized for mobile devices. With GA’s new Mobile Reporting, you can be sure to keep a close eye on how people are interacting with your website via their smartphones. This will also give you more robust information about which mobile devices are most commonly used amongst your audience members. With this data you can work to optimize your site for those devices.
• Flow Visualization: Previously in GA you could read where people went from one page to another on your site. You could see a list of the entrance and exit paths for various pages. Now, this data is being presented in a much easier to digest way, using graphic visualizations of the flow of the visitors on your site. You can actually see where they are going and make educated guesses as to why they are moving through your site in such a way. With a better understanding of the current flow on your site, you can work to develop content and other navigational elements to facilitate the flow of your users to certain areas of your site and push them into taking key targeted actions such as donating or signing up to volunteer.

These are just a few of the new advancements of the free Google Analytics tool. I highly recommend that you login or create an account today. There is no doubt that by utilizing this data your organization will be able to increase the value and efficiency of your website.